Graham County Attractions

(Listed in alphabetical order.)

A.M.E. Church

Nicodemus, KS

(785) 839-4233

Area residents founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) in 1879. Members initially met in a sod structure. In 1885, the sod church was replaced with a limestone structure. In 1910, the congregation moved into an existing church structure that was previously owned by the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. In the 1920s, the congregation changed a window to a doorway and added a vestibule to provide protection against the wind. The A.M.E. Church has exterior limestone walls that, like other stone buildings in Nicodemus, were covered with stucco in the 1940s. The AME church is preserved as a National Historic Site by the National Park System. Free Admission. Although hours vary depending upon staff availability, we strive to keep the Visitor Center open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily throughout the year. For more information visit the Nicodemus National Historic Site.

Antelope Lake

2 miles Northwest

Morland, KS

Antelope Lake, on the State Historical List, was built by the WPA in the 1930's, and features several native stone structures. The 80 acre lake is great for recreation and fishing with boat ramps, camping and picnic areas. The lake is well known for good fishing. For more information please visit the Morland website.

Beautiful brick relief work can be viewed on the front of the Citizens State Bank reflecting the paleontology of the area. Stop in at the bank and see the work of local artists and an unusal collection of comic books. For more information please visit the Morland website.

Drury House707 N. 4th Ave.
Hill City, KS

The Drury House is an attractive, multi-story brick home built in north Hill City by Bert and Susie Drury. The home, built in stages by the Drurys as they llived in various parts of the home, is located at 707 N. 4th Ave. in Hill City, KS.

First Baptist Church
Nicodemus, KS

Several structures in succession, all at the same location, housed the congregation of the First Baptist Church from its founding in 1877 to the present. The group initially worshipped in a dugout, which was replaced by a soddie, another dugout, and eventually a small limestone structure. The exterior walls are limestone, and the structure was coated with stucco circa 1940. The 1960 addition features concrete unit masonry covered with stucco. The building has several irregularly spaced and shaped buttresses of limestone rubble coated with stucco. An articulated vestibule at the intersection of the ell segments marks the entrance to the church. The First Baptist Church is preserved as a National Historic Site by the National Park System. Free Admission. Although hours vary depending upon staff availability, we strive to keep the Visitor Center open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily throughout the year. For more information visit the Nicodemus National Historic Site.

The Graham County Historical Society Museum moved in recent years to its own location at 103 E. Cherry Street in the downtown Hill City area, just south across the street from the Graham County Courthouse. The museum includes a military room, vintage clothing exhibit, wquilts, photos of early-day-Graham County, and also includes a nubmer of items donated or loaned to Graham County Historical Society by private individuals. The musem is currently open, free of charge, on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Groups are welcome to arrange private tours of the museum. For more information visit the Graham County Historical Society.

"HC" Hill & CrossJust South of Hill City
on US Highway 283

The "HC Hill & Cross ae located three miles south of Hil City on private property and earned their recognition following a project by Hill City High School students, around the start of the new century, which saw the "HC" built on the side hill and then whitewashed so that they stand out very well to viewers from nearby US Highway 283 just to the west. A large wooden cross has stood at the top of that hill for many years, and was, by necessity, replaced by local resident following its destruction in a tornado severl years ago.

The Hill City Oil Museum is located at 801 W. Main Street (US Highway 24) in Hill City. The Oil Museum has been a project of the Hill City Chamber of Commerce and the City of Hill City, since its construction fifty years ago in 1958. The museum was created to tell the story of oil exploration and mining in Graham County and northwest Kansas, along with models and examples of the equipment used, and the museum just recently underwent extensive renovations. Located under an oil derrick from an earlier day, the museum is currently open by walk-in and appointment. For more information about the Hill City Oil Museum, please visit the

Hill City ParkWest Street & Elm Street
Hill City, KS 67642

Hill City has many city parks, but this beautiful City Park is located just one block east of the main businesss district of downtown Hill City. The park was created in the 1930's as a project of the WPA and features the green rock mined in Graham County.

The Linda Louise Doll House, located adjacent to the Hill City home of Evan and Judy Goltl at 124 E. Mulberry in Hill City, was created by the Goltls in honoro f a daughter lost to illness. Built from a unique farm granary moved to the location, the doll house includes Judy's extensive collection of dolls and doll accessories. Donations are accepted in memory of Linda Louise.

Longfellow Middle School203 N. 2nd Ave.
Hill City, KS 67642

Longfellow Middle School is located in the middle of Hill City and was built in 1923 as it was dedicated as Memorial High School, a name it retained until the early 1960's when a new high school was built and the native stone structure was renamed for a well-known poet. Built of granite-like Ogallala quartzite, which was mined northeast of Hill City, the building was used to house middle school students of Graham County Unified School District No. 281, untill it's closing in 2009. It shows an address of 203 N. 2nd Ave. It earlier memorialized the county's residents who served in World War I and World War II.

Minium Fossil Quarry
Morland, KS 67650
(785) 627-3165

Part of a National Geographic dig in 1985 - 86, the quarry is unique for its specimens of early plant life including bamboo, rice, bullrushes, hackberry, and borages. And right beside them are remains of early day animals. It is said that the site is the richest fossil site in the world. Minium Fossil Quarry is being developed by Fort Hays State University as a satelite of the Sternberg Museum. For more information please visit the Morland website.

The former Bank Building is now home to Morland's historic museum. For more information please visit the Morland website.

Nicodemus, KSin Eastern Graham County
on US Highway 24
(785) 839-4233

The all-black community of Nicodemus is located on US Highway 24, approximately 15 miles east of Hill City, and was originally established by former slaves from Kentucky in the 1870's. The community was recognized in the 1990's as a National Historic Site and still carries that status, with Visitors' Center currently open in the community's native stone Township Hall. For more information visit the Nicodemus National Historic Site.

Nicodeumus Livery Company
P.O. Box 29
Bogue, KS 67625
(785) 421-3311

Step back to the old black west and tour historic Nicodemus, the only remaining all Black town west of the Mississippi, est. 1877. Angela Bates, Historian/Owner/Operator of the Nicodemus Livery Company give tours of the Nicodemus National Historic Site & Landmark District. Horse Drawn Wagon Tour, Historic Townsite Tour, Teacher Study Tours, Blacks in the West Living History Presentations, Youth Day/Half Day Camps, Adult Day Trip Tours, Women/Girls Programs, Outdoor Theatre Programs, Historic Homesteads & Cemetery Tour, Rites of Passage Educational Tour, Ernestine's Famous BBQ Meals Provided. Bus and group tours encouraged.

NSD #1 Schoolhouse
Nicedemus, KS

Nicodemus was the first community in Graham County, Kansas, to establish a school district and school. The existing school building was constructed in 1918 after a fire destroyed its predecessor. The single-story wood-frame school is square in plan with a wood-shingle-hipped roof. A porch on the east elevation marks the main entry to the building. The school property also contains a one-story gabled roofed shed. A large playground and open space surround the structures. The schoolhouse is preserved as a National Historic Site by the National Park System. Free Admission. Although hours vary depending upon staff availability, we strive to keep the Visitor Center open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily throughout the year. For more information visit the Nicodemus National Historic Site.

Penokee Stone Man
Penokee, KS 67659

The rocks, more than 100 in all, form the outline of an oversized human figure that rests northwest of town on a hill called Indian Mound. No one knows how long they've been there, who put them there, or, most intriguingly why. The figure - created from partly buried chunks of limestone - measures 57 feet from the head to foot and 32 feet from the tip of one outstretched hand to the other. Because of it's size, you almost have to be airborne to take it all in at once. Grass covers many of the stones, which measure from 6 inches to a a foot, and the outline is difficult to detect without an experienced guide. Some of the stones are buried, others are missing and a few have been strewn around the site. It is not visible from nearby U.S.24, and you can be on top of it before you realize anything unusual. There's nothing like it in the state, although a few similar figures have been found elsewhere in the Midwest.

Pratt Pony Bridge
Morland City Park
Morland, KS 67650

The historic Pratt Pony Bridge was made in the early 1900s in Nebraska. It contains no bracing which let horses cross with less reluctance. It now resides in city park and is one of only two pratt bridges remaining. For more information please visit the Morland website.

Prairie Junction516 W. Main Street
Morland, KS 67650
(785) 627-5355

Prarie Junction has been equated to a museum, and is known as the “Old Kobler Drug Store.” Albert and Anna Kobler operated a pharmacy, variety store, and soda fountain in the building from 1929 to 1957. The first floor has been renovated and decorated with historical items from the area. “Prairie Junction,” as it is now called, is a full-service restaurant open 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. Those that enjoy a bit of nostalgia and reminiscing will find cattle brands of local ranchers, cast iron implement seats, numerous advertising products from local businesses, and many other antique items. Visitors enjoy trying to identify some of these objects. There are some items displayed that have stumped even the most knowledgeable old timers. They even have a working water fountain just outside this tasty, quaint restaurant - not many of those around anymore! For more information please visit the Morland website.

The golf enthusiast can enjoy a challenging 9-hole grass green at the Prairie Trails Golf Course on the east side of Hill City. The course provides a nine-hole par 35 course with buffalo grass fairways and grass greens, located at the eastern edge of Hill City. The fairways are lined with rustic cedars. Though the course may be considered short, the southern summer winds add distance and trouble. They have concrete and asphalt cartpaths, two new ponds, and are always improving sand traps and tee boxes. Reasonable green fees, ready access, and a full schedule of tournament play make this an outstanding facility. Please visit our Community Calendar page for a full schedule of tournaments and events at Prairie Trails Golf Course.